Why We Don't Eat Out Much ....

Now someone is going to say --  boy is he full of himself tonight.

No, I hope I am not.  But Last weekend, Cindy and I went out to one of those higher priced eating establishments here in Saint John, and all I can say is that it was adequate.  The salads were good and so was the dessert.  But when you order a main course at a higher priced establishment, your choice will make or break the dining experience.

The dining experience, based on the food was a disappointment.  The wait staff were excellent and the atmosphere was good but that could not make up for a barely adequate main course.

Tonight, we enjoyed a wonderful meal.

Chicken Breasts -- Rosemary - Roasted Garlic - White Wine

Chicken Breasts  -- Bone in but skinless.  Taste issues.  Enough said.
Done in a cast iron fry pan.
With White wine, onions and rosemarary and garlic.
And topped with toasted coconut flakes.
 Deglaze the pan with more wine to create a tasty drizzle.

A side of sauteed brussel sprouts, chopped white turnip, and chopped Prosciutto ham.  With  lemon pepper herb mixture.

Served with rice and a drizzle of parmesan-garlic dressing on the rice and veggies.

Verdict for the meal?  Delicious!

If someone sends me an email and asks which dining establishment to avoid and save your money I will tell them.

If someone were to ask me where to find the great meal I just described, I would have to say there is no establishment taking reservations and your money.

But..... if you want to invite me and Cindy to your house.  Or if we invite you, we can prepare this great meal for you.  I love cooking and sharing life as we share food.

Grace and Peace

Happy Eating

Pizza! Pizza! and Pizza Again! Ham and Peppered Garlic Onion Tzatziki Pizza

On this third day of a New Year, I thought of trying a familiar pizza but with a different twist.

The familiar angle on a Ham pizza is often a Hawaiian Ham and Pineapple Cheese Pizza.  But lacking the pineapple and not wanting to do a tomato base, I struck off on a different route.  If you have never tried Tzatziki as a sauce base for a pizza.  Do so and you will want to do so more and more.

So, armed with a flatbread from one of my favourite Flatbread makers who are found at the Saint John City Market, usually every Saturday.  Do not go and visit them on a full stomach as they will want you to "come and let me feed you!"  And feed you they will with delicious samples.

But I digress.  For this I used the following:

One Flatbread -- 14 inch

Tzatziki Sauce -- I used 4 tablespoons for this size pizza

Carmelized Onions in a Pepper Garlic Spice Mix.  This spice mix works very nicely with the Tzatziki sauce, ham, spinach and provolone cheese.

Torn Spinach Leaves -- about 2 handfuls.

8 Round Slices of Provolone -- I used the Saputo Brand.

3 Slices of Kirkland Extra Lean Ham.  Cut in three strips and then cut into about an inch pieces to put on the pizza.

I set it up as sauce, ham, spinach, carmelized onions and then provolone in the full circles to cover the pizza.

Baked in a 425 degree oven until cheese has started to turn brown.

Did not take a picture of the full product before cutting and serving but here is a picture of one slice.

Happy Eating

Grace and Peace

When Frozen....Yikes! Is Better?

Those who know my love of good food are probably cringing at what they think I might be about to suggest.  That I am now a fan of the nuke it and consume it movement of frozen meals for anytime of the day or night?

Rest easy.  I am not.

What I am becoming a surprising fan of is the wonderful results I am getting from a slow simmer  in a cast iron fry pan of a frozen beef steak or small roast in some water, your favourite steak piece and my own balsamic vinegar reduction sauce.  For this recipe I used the following:

Club House La Grille Blazin Pepper Bourbon

For this occasion of New Year's Eve, I got out a small frozen Prime Rib Roast (about 2 and 1/2 lbs), and a 12 inch cast iron fry pan.  Covered the bottom of the pan with water, a generous helping of the 

Club House La Grille Blazin Pepper Bourbon, and about 1 cup of my balsamic vinegar reduction sauce.  I will add about another 1/2 cup of the sauce when I turn the roast.

Then start the frozen roast on a double burner at 4-6 heat setting.  You will reduce it, after about 20 minutes to around a number 2 setting, on the double burner. You are looking for a slow bubbling effect.  I turned it after about an hour and all told it cooked for about two hours.  If you have longer, start it on a lower setting.

I paired the meal with some baked potatoes and a side of just turned carmelized onions and french green beans.  By just turned, I mean do not add the frozen french green beans in the fry pan, until the onions have just turned.  A nice lemon pepper and herb mixture brings out a lowly flavour to the side dish.

A caesar dressing drizzle for the potatoes and side veggies is a tasty twist and the caesar pairs nicely with the reduction sauce from the cast iron fry pan.  That was an unexpected but pleasant discovery in the journey of sharing and eating as one saw the end of 2014.

So a New Years Resolution for 2015?  Try some more frozen meat for this year.  It will force you to take time because you cannot cook frozen fast and expect good results.  Slow simmer and slow down.

You just might like what results.  In the Middle East in the time of Jesus and even today, food was to be enjoyed because as you shared food you shared life.  Not a bad idea eh?  

Oh I should share the balsamic vinegar reduction sauce sometime too?

Grace and Peace

Happy Eating

Another Happy and Tasty Chicken Accident While Making Supper Part ....

Hello:

Been awhile since one has been writing about adventures in cooking and I hope to remedy that by contributing on a more frequent basis.

And since it is my privilege now to help cater the wedding for my oldest niece, I hope to write up these culinary creations as one goes on a  journey to the big date.

But tonight, one created a happy accident for myself and Cindy.

Put some skinless, bone in chicken breasts in a skillet.  Seasoned them with a Lemon Herbs mixture for Chicken and Fish and added about one eight of an inch of water and kept that level while cooking.

Turned on double burner element, to 6-8 for about 25-30  minutes as one cooked the breasts for about 15 minutes a side and flipped.

Turned it down to single burner about 4-6.  Splashed in a pomegranate balsamic vinegar.  Once around the pan.  I know .. so precise!  But good cooking is experimenting and by sight, feel, touch, smell.  (Note -- I think a cranberry balsamic vinegar would work well.   And I would also try a blackberry-ginger balsamic).  Further Note -- the lemon herb mixture might create a smell you do not like.  That is good.  That is what led me to try the vinegar.

This is plated with a side of Home fries spiced with a Southern Hickory Spice mixture.  Very nice flavour.  A little spicy.  Also mushrooms and onions were cooked in the fry pan while finishing the chicken.

And the chicken is drizzled with a nice ranch dressing.

Very Tasty.  Good cooking is often the result of an accident.  And after 35 years of learning and experimenting it is an adventure I love to embark upon.  Would do this Lemon - Pomegranate - Ranch Chicken Dish again.  Almost ate the extra chicken I had cooked!

Happy Eating

Grace and Peace

Bring on the Sand!

Giving credit where credit is due, this recipe adaptation comes from the following idea:

http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/sand-n-sun-smoothie/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+jointhereboot%2FuoBr+%28Reboot+With+Joe%29

What I appreciate about the recipes found on this site is he offers many substitution ideas.

With that in mind, I thought I would change the recipe and make it more about the Sand then the Sun.  And I think it works as a more filling type of smoothie.  You dear reader, can in the end, tell me.  Try the recipe and then try what I am going to suggest.

Ingredients

1/2 of a cored Pineapple.

3 Cups of Coconut Milk.  So less liquid then the original recipe.

Equivalent of 2 handfuls of a Spring Salad Mix

2 Tablespoons or so of Peanut Butter

At least 1/2 cup of Hemp Hearts

1/2 to 3/4 cup of Raspberries or berries of choice.

Count out a 1 second squeeze of Lime Juice.  Mine is more than a splash!

Combine and blend for 45 seconds

Additional Notes:

Think I will add some Ginger next time.  Can't hurt!

Happy Eating

Grace and Peace

When An Adventure Goes Well in the Midst of Delightful Company

Last week I returned to, in the words of some of the locals in my Dad's hometown of Alma, NB, the foreign country of Halifax, Nova Scotia.  To share in a wonderful evening of making and sharing a meal and meeting new people.

What was the meal?

I was tasked with making a new sauce to marinate and cook some salmon and boneless chicken thighs.  Note -- my preference is Chicken thighs.  Sorry all you white meat chicken lovers.  Give me the thighs.  Only went boneless because I wanted both items to cook at the same time.  In other circumstances, I would go with bone in thighs and trim the skin and fat.  Leaving a covering of skin with most of the fat scraped or cut away.

Further Note -- This Sauce could have been made with Herbs Provence or a Tuscan Herb mix with some Heat as a contrast to the Ginger.  I chose the Herbs Provence to start and plan to do another version with a Tuscan Herb mixture but only if the mixture has heat.


Raspberry - Herbs Provence with Ginger Sauce

Raspberries

Balsamic Vinegar

Grape seed Oil

Herbs Provence

Ground Ginger

Stevia for Sweetening Agent or also add Agave Syrup, Liquid Cane Sugar or Maple Syrup

Combine, blend  and let sit for at least one day and then taste and then adjust to get what you desire.  If you want more bite you in the mouth zing.  Add more ginger.  If you want just the herbs and ginger to make a claim that they are there but not too noticeable then add these ingredients slowly.  Took me a couple of days to adjust the taste and leave the herbs and ginger to be not too noticeable.

As a Finishing Touch after the meal is cooked and plated, I would add the following.  Orange Zest and/or Hot Pickled Eggplants.

That night I sliced a Turkish Jalapeno and the hot zesty zing of that was a Wonderful Complement to the meal and the sauce.  Mind you.  Others might disagree.  Bite the bullet and try it.  Maybe with a little less heat.

An Unexpected Surprise?  Was the afterglow of the ginger in your mouth as one savoured the meal.  I did not add too much ginger to make it noticeable in a taste test prior to cooking the meal.  What one noticed most in tasting before cooking was the vinegar and raspberry with the herbs and ginger making a claim that they were there.  But its effects were noticed after cooking in the after glow taste, as one enjoyed the meal.

Now I know none of the above gives you any help in deciding how much to add.  Sorry.  This recipe was a entirely an adventure and when I make it again I will try to figure out some measurements.  So enjoy the adventure.

And many thanks to Samuel and Rebekah for hosting a wonderful evening.  Look forward to another time.  Thinking a top sirloin or prime rib small roast done in a cast iron fry pan.  Covered with a lid and drenched in balsamic vinegar and herbs.  Slow simmered for 4 hours or so on the stove top.  You will make vows to not sop up the tasty reduction sauce/gravy as the roast cooks but before you know it the gravy will be gone and bread crumbs will be on your face.  And you will wonder; how did that happen?

But that is a tale for another day.

Happy Eating

Grace and Peace

A Tasty! Unexpected! Roasted Flax/Garlic Hamburger Surprise!

Yes.  Before anyone says.  I realize the title for this Blog Posting is a little chopped up.

But this was tasty and unexpected to be so tasty that I wanted to emphasize how unexpected and tasty it was.

This recipe made four large 4 ounce burgers.

I used Omega Crunch Shelled Flax Roasted Garlic to mix into the burger mixture with one egg and Clubhouse Garlic Plus.  And I topped my burger with Aurora Hot Pickled Eggplants.

Delicious!

Ingredients

1 pound to a pound and 1/4 of one grind burger.

--  Has a more coarse texture.  Now that I have used it there is a definite preference with this writer for it.

Handful of the Omega Crunch Shelled Flax Roasted Garlic.  My hand means a good amount.  Sorry.  I don't measure.

1 large egg

Clubhouse Garlic Plus

Combine and cook in pan.  The smell of the garlic flax as the hamburgers cook, is very enticing.  Make you want to come out into the kitchen and see what is cooking.

If you want to heat things up, top your burger with the Aurora Hot Pickled Eggplants.  Forgot to take a picture of burger topped with eggplants.  Might do so tomorrow.  Great taste!

Happy Eating

Grace and Peace